Trijicon AccuPoint 3-9 X 40mm Scope Review

A scope option for shooters with vision impairments.

While thumbing through the pages of one of the hardcopy outdoor magazines I regularly read, a full page Trijicon optics advertisement sprang from the page when I saw a reticle design example that glimmered a degree of hope for my serious vision impairment.

It’s not something I talk much about, but when my once perfect vision began to rapidly deteriorate at age 27, I took the steps to determine the cause. The diagnosis was something called Keratoconus, a condition of the cornea that deteriorates vision through a distortion of the smooth surface of the actual cornea, affecting millions of people.

The disease is not hereditary, nor is there any really good theory as to how it starts, when, or in whom it will manifest and usually goes undetected for quite some time. What is known, through my own experience, is that it can worsen and then suddenly stabilize for an undetermined length of time before deteriorating further. Laser surgery is not an option for Keratoconus, only a cornea transplant when the diagnosis becomes severe enough to warrant the procedure. At age 42, my vision is that of someone who is restricted from night driving and marginal for daylight driving, so you can imagine the impact it potentially has on the use of optics for an avid outdoorsman, photographer and hunter.

When I look through any conventional rifle scope I see a crosshair instantly as any normal set of eyes would see. However, within the next few seconds the crosshairs split into a duel crosshair, both vertically and horizontally, letting you wondering which to believe to be correct. This adds incredible concern when trying to do exact shot placement and not wound an animal. It has handicapped (there I said it) me to only “acceptable” margins of accuracy at best. No longer have I been able to shoot the way I did during my years in law enforcement where I routinely shot within the sharp-shooter to expert category.

So, long has been my search for a scope that may give me back some exacting ability. I have handled many scopes in gun stores and at tradeshows with only a select few scopes that (costing closer to $2,000 than a few hundred) did not have the ‘effect’. Not to mention a full crosshair configuration has an almost claustrophobic affect with the condition when looking through a scope. The scene feels too full and busy and the sight picture becomes secondary to the crosshair.

When I saw the design of the AccuPoint with a single narrow post design and a small red triangle at the pinnacle, I was intrigued to say the least. I made contact with Trijicon to discuss a field test of the scope for a review by a shooter with a severe stigmatism like that of Keratoconus. Trijicon obliged and the scope arrived a short time later. Immediately noticeable is the very impressive packaging and complete manual and owner information contained that rivals that of a digital point and shoot camera. Also notable was the allegiance that has been formed with the NRA by Trijicon, with the literature and discount membership offer supplied.

The scope was mounted on a Weatherby Vanguard 30-06, as a standard caliber for most North American big game animals, and in my opinion a basic and popular caliber. A series of rounds were passed through in getting the scope on paper at 25 yards before bringing it to the real test at 100 yards. The task was in looking for a clear and much smaller sight picture of the target that my eyes could handle.

It was immediately noticeable how effectively the AccuPoint gathers light for the full frame of the reticle. The red triangle illuminates and/or the illumination dissipates with incredible speed when the lighting conditions dictate. In full sunlight the triangle appears to have no illumination, yet when the site picture is put into a shaded area, the triangle illuminates with a crisp edge. This was also a concern as keratoconus makes lighted objects appear to have a halo effect. That effect, if present, could be somewhat hindering as the edges would blur in the halo. The triangle however, remained clear and crisp.

Pages: 1 2